We spent today cleaning up after the weather bomb that piled snow high, swept away every footprint and created a pristine canvas for tree shadows and snow sculptures. This isn’t our first storm this winter and today isn’t the first day I  heard people say This is the kind of winter we used to have.  

When I went outside, the sun on my face reminded me of the joyful exuberance that snow creates in children.

And my mind then drifted to simpler times  when I played in the snow with my brother.  Some things never change.

But some things have changed. We didn’t have bird feeders hanging in the yard when I was a kid but today the birds flocked to our feeder after the storm. We had the usual Chickadees, Hairy and Downey Woodpeckers,  Nuthatches and a single Junco but they flew away when a bigger visitor approached.

It didn’t take long to discover the feeder

And develop a taste for sunflower seeds

We didn’t chase her away and she didn’t leave until it was empty. Then we refilled it for the birds. I don’t play in the snow any more, but I still enjoy an old-fashioned storm.